April 13, 2009

Quick Q&A with Chris Stamp, Winemaker, Lakewood Vineyards

On my recent trip to Seneca Lake, one of the wineries that surprised me the most was Lakewood Vineyards. Winemaker Chris Stamp is making some classic, well-priced riesling, doing some interesting things with New York oak in his chardonnay and cabernet franc programs and even impressed with some of the hybrid blends. This week, we pose our Q&A questions to Chris:

What (and where) was the first bottle of wine you remember drinking?
First, you should know that although I grew up on a grape farm, my parents rarely had wine, or any alcoholic beverages around the house. Not because they were against it, but because back in those days, being grape growers for Taylor Wine Company didn't necessarily translate into knowledge about wine other than it came from the bins of fruit that you delivered to the wine factory.

There really wasn't much of a wine culture in this area back then. Today you could walk into any restaurant in Watkins Glen and find 12 people who are well read in matters of wine. Back then you'd be hard pressed to find a dozen in the whole town.

This fact makes it easier for me to remember my first taste of wine. It wasn't a stunning Bordeaux from a storied vintage, but a small glass of "Sparkling Burgundy," which was, I believe a charmat process, Concord-based bubbly. But at the ripe old age of somewhere around 10, I recall it tasted really good.

What event/bottle/etc made you decide that you wanted to be in the wine industry?
My fascination with wine making began in my early teens while visiting a neighbor. This neighbor was an off-the-boat Yugoslavian who loved to make wine. Lots of wine. In fact his basement probably had 1000 gals of new wine at any one time. I remember being intrigued by all the barrels, the bubblers, the carboys and probably most of all, the aromas. I would help him on occasion. At the time I thought "what a neat hobby". It was years later that it occurred to me that I could make a profession out of it.

Which of your current wines is your favorite and why?
This is a question I often get if I spend any time in the tasting room. My answer is always in the form of a question: Which of your kids is your favorite?

Fact is, it has more to do with the occasion, what I'm having for dinner, and the weather. I confess, I drink more of the drier wines, but if the company wants a sweeter wine, then that's my favorite that night.

What has surprised you most about being a member of the Finger Lakes wine community?The growth of the industry. I remember when making 12,000 gallons qualified you as a large winery. We now make over 80,000 gallon/yr. And instead of being one of a couple dozen wineries, we're one of well over 100. Your perspectives sure change.

I'm also impressed at how well everyone still works together. If your neighbor needs something, you help if you can. Despite the growth it still feels like a small community. I like that.

Other than your own wines, what wine/beer/liquor most often fills your glass?
I rarely drink liquor, but I have a serious weakness for German-style Hefe Weizen. It might even be an addiction.

In the winter I drink more reds from all over the world, but when it warms up outside, it's impossible to beat a Finger Lakes Riesling. Every winery here makes a riesling and almost all of them are excellent. But the real sleepers of the Finger Lakes are the Gewurztraminers. This is a variety that we can produce as well as anyone. Your chances of finding Gewurztraminer in my glass at any particular moment are pretty good.

Is there a 'classic' wine or wine and food pairing that you just can't make yourself enjoy?
Yes. Independently I love dry red wine and chocolate. Together, they are an abomination. What really worries me is that some poor soul is going to taste these two together and really believe that this is synergy. What a travesty. Nothing in the pairing works. Whoever proffered this notion show be condemned!

Wine enjoyment is about more than just the wine itself. Describe the combination of wine, locations, food, company, etc. that would make (or has made) for the ultimate wine-drinking experience.
Probably 8 of my top ten wine experiences has taken place right in my own dining room. My wife and I both like to cook, and we have an embarrassingly large wine cellar.

In the winter it might be porterhouse steak with avocado sauce paired with cabernet franc
(this one is awesome!) served in the dining room with the fireplace roaring in the background. Or in the summer, garden-fresh grilled vegetables with a crisp dry riesling on my front deck over looking the lake as the sun fades away.

The key is nobody has to be anywhere else that night. There is the feeling that this is what we work for, these moments at the end of the day, when we can all put away our type A side and relax and enjoy the fruits of our labors.

I felt the same in reading Chris' dismissal of wine / chocolate. Is his opinion shared by most people in the industry? And if it is, how did we get to the point where so many wineries pair wine with chocolate?

The best thing about winemakers is that they have no opinions and they are shy about expressing them when they do have opinions. Right?

Chris thinks Gewurztraminer can be done and done well in the FLakes. I do, too. Ask the same question of Morten at Ravines.

Chris cannot fathom dry red wine with chocolate. I can. Maybe that's because I've tasted many that didn't work, but also a number of them that did. In fact, I particularly remember a 1999 Paulliac (Fonbadet) that, with a 95% cacao, was a wonderful experience. I stand condemned.

Actually, I've had a few bramble-like Zinfandels with a raspberry quality that seems to have been intended for wrapping in chocolate.

Then again, I remember in my first year in the Finger Lakes wine business. I had a visitor to my tasting room tell me that she drank only Riesling wine--no other.

I asked her if she ate beef. She said she did. Then I asked her which wine she drinks with steak. Riesling was her answer. When I tried to discuss it with her I realized that it was futile for me to go on. No accounting for taste.

Being the meek fellow that I am, i didn't argue with Morten--just told him that he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Seriously, he has a point, but not exactly one that I agree with. In fact, if his point is true for Gewurztraminer, it would have to be considered true for some other vinifera varieties in the region as well, some that he works with, too.

Not being a 100% varietal purist, in some years, I added up to 10% of other, acidic, varieties to help out.

Having said that, Gewurztraminer is a challenge. It's fickle against temperature swings and it's got a relatively quick window of maturity, which is always problematic in an erratic climate like this one. Sometimes, the pH on those things coming into the winery is scary and the acidity is on vacation. But there are ways to help matters along, as long as the varietal character is intact.

Without having spoken to Morten about this myself (so I don't have any context), I'd assume that yes, he'd say that there are other grapes/wines being made in the Finger Lakes that require too much work for success.

As a related aside, I'd rather a gewurzt be 100% gewurzt with a little acid added than 10% vidal.

I think people like chocolate with dry red wines because a lot of people secretly dont like dry red wines lol.

also, if your down on milk chocolate, for real, go to Holland, Belgium, France, or Switzerland. Maybe you dont like Hersheys or Nestle, but you dont like Yellow Tail or Diana Ridge either do you? Why? because it's soulless and massproduced by machines for profit. Eat some real chocolate. (And if that dosnt turn you, then I suggest you just dont tell anyone, stay in the chocolate-hater's closet, because honestly, it means your weird).

And yea, if your gonna blend, then you've got to lable it as a blend. Call it what it is, no ifs, ands, or buts. Nobody is against blending, the world's best wines are based on blends blah blah blah, but a wine with 90% Gewurz and 10% Riesling is not a Gewurztraminer, its a white blend. Im gonna start writing those letters right now dag nabbit lol.